Certain record labels, usually by accident, spawn a collective sound that is defined by the label itself. Stax, Ed Banger, Dischord all these labels have, throughout history forged a sound and in many cases forged a scene.
One of these labels and the one closest to my heart is No Idea. Based in the alleged punk rock mecca of Gainesville, FL and symbolised by the iconic stressface pictured above No Idea has defined punk rock for a generation of people.
Starting as a zine in 1985 No Idea started putting out 7"'s of local Gainesville bands and other bigger punk rock acts from across the US. Before long it had one of the most impressive rosters of punk rock and hardcore, rivalled only (extremely arguably i might add. gimme an alternative if you think i'm wrong) by Dischord up in DC. Here is a select few bands who i wholeheartedly recommend you check out:
AGAINST ME!
One of the most noticeable bands to first marks its place on the punk rock map thanks to No Idea is Florida's Against Me! who released a number of records including the seminal 'Reinventing Axl Rose' in 2002. They went on to release two more records on Fat Wreck ('As The Eternal Cowboy' and one of my favourite records of all time 'Searching For A Former Clarity') before moving to the majors for 2007's 'New Wave'
HOT WATER MUSIC
No Idea's big hitter. The band that spawned countless imitators but blew them all away. Released a wealth of records on No Idea and even when the moved to Epitaph continued to release vinyl versions of their later releases through No Idea. Start with 'A Flight And A Crash' and keep listening, even the bands they did after their break-up (Chuck Ragan went solo the other three went and did The Draft) are incredible
YOUNG LIVERS
Formed from former members of Fiya and Glass & Ashes two incredible No Idea bands and took their name from the Rocket From The Crypt Song song of the same name hours before their first show Young Livers represent completely the new breed of bands the label is putting out.
BRIDGE & TUNNEL
Another band formed from the ashes of another incredible band Bridge & Tunnel are two guys and two girls who have just released their incredible debut record. CHECK IT OUT
Barney
P.S. This is just a tiny tiny selection of the incredible bands/releases on No Idea. Part of the appeal of this label for me is that many of the bands on it have released small collectible vinyls, side-projects and collaborations with other band members which makes an exploration of the labels catalogue fascinating
No comments:
Post a Comment